Sep 28, 2025 11:20 AM
Fun read. Psychedelic and ridiculous in the endearing style of PKD. The book is written with cinematic flair and undergirded by a great sense of humour. I found myself thinking about the ideas in the book during random parts of the day and making connections similar to how a deluded person would after smoking a little too much weed:
Ignorance is bliss, but once you know, can you go back?
Is a mirage real if a mirage is all you have?
In a world where 'real' is rare, does value necessitate destruction?
Can you ever fully escape reality?
The main character, android bounty hunter Rick Deckard is tasked with 'retiring' 6 advanced androids who are almost indistinguishable from humans but for their inferior empathetic traits. We see him navigate a crisis of faith, a moral crisis, and an ethical crisis as he fulfils his mission.
You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity. At some time, every creature which lives must do so. It is the ultimate shadow, the defeat of creation; this is the curse at work, the curse that feeds on all life.
--Wilbur Mercer
Someone described PKD as low brow intellectualism. Give it a read if you want to take a break from the heavy duty stuff.